Inasi Keep
by Kai Hanai'ali'i
Summary: Marina is a young water magi who lives on her own in her Keep with her creatures and allies. With the help of her friends, old and new, and her sister, Ali, she disables the magic of a particularly horrible gemstone.
1. Chapter 1: A Strange Request

**Chapter 1: A Strange Request**

Marina absentmindedly petted the tropical leviathan swimming in the water beside her, gazing into the distance. It was rare for her to get more than a few hour's relaxation. Inasi Keep was such a busy place – she was constantly caring for creatures and finding them new homes, or out helping other magi. Luckily, she had her two allies, a naga and a centaur, to help her. A purple koi popped up in the water, and Marina smiled, feeding it a bit of food.

As the sun went down, Marina gave a sigh, and rose, dusting off her robes. She turned and, with a wave to the leviathan and the koi, walked back to her Keep. When she reached the front gate, she knew something was up. Frowning, she saw the two strange noctis enoxes standing in the courtyard. Visitors? She saw her centaur ally, a female named Zarifi, talking to two magi by the front door.

"Marina! I am glad that you are back. These two men would like to talk to you."

"Thank you, Zarifi." The centaur nodded, then clopped away to make sure that everybody was comfortable for the night.

"I am Marina of Inasi Keep. What brings you here?"

"We seek your help in a matter of great delicacy," one said. Marina suppressed a shiver – he was very, very pale, with slick black hair and bright red eyes. She could have sworn she saw the flash of fangs as he spoke.

"What is it?" Marina asked, as a female black ice dragon entered the courtyard, spreading her wings as she approached the three humans.

"We need you to retrieve something of great importance from one who stole it long ago," said the first man. The other one was just like the first, although he was much younger. "It is imperative that he does not keep it any longer."

"What is this item?" Marina thought privately that she did not want anything to do with these two .

"Ah. It is a young woman, my daughter. My son here will help you in any way possible."

"You want me to kidnap somebody? I couldn't!" said Marina, horrified. The dragon snorted in agreement, icy cold breath making the two strangers shiver.

The first man frowned. "Very well. I was hoping that you would agree peaceably. I can see that you will not come without a fight."

He gestured, and a quartet of skeletal dragons, a pair of dark bone dragons and a pair of molten bone dragons, descended into the courtyard, hissing. "Take her."

"No!" Magic pulsed through Marina, as a wave of lake water washed through the courtyard, dousing the dragon's fire for a moment. They shook their heads in befuddlement, and suddenly turned on the two men. "Stop!"

They did, turning to look at her with skeletal heads. "Leave, both of you. I do not want to see you near my Keep again."

The five dragons roared in agreement. Although the first man gave her a look of pure loathing, his son gave her an admiring smile before his father spoke to him sharply to get on his enox. "I hope he forgives you," he whispered before complying with his father's orders.

"I can take care of myself," Marina said angrily. She sighed, running her fingers through her long white hair as the two enoxes took flight.


	2. Chapter 2: A Quest

**Chapter 2: A Quest**

"Zarifi, Nyoko, why would the bone dragons start listening to me?" Marina asked later, sitting in front of the library fire in her favorite chair. It had been her mother's, and was carved with poems that her father had written. "The first man was obviously their master – although from what I've gathered from their behavior, they didn't like him much."

"You defeated them. They decided you were more powerful than their previous master," Nyoko answered from the shadows.

Zarifi agreed. "Although have never seen it happen, myself."

"Huh. Strange. What do you think of their request?" Marina petted the kuras tigers on either side of her.

"I wouldn't trust them," said Nyoko immediately. The naga was wary of anyone from outside Inasi Keep, save for Marina's friends. "It sounds…shady."

Much to Marina's surprise, Zarifi disagreed. "You should go, even if only to see the girl and hear her side of the story."

"But I don't even know where she lives now," Marina protested. "And I don't think I can ask the strangers."

"I think it would be safe to say that they are vampires, Marina," Zarifi interjected. "They smelled like blood." She wrinkled her nose.

Meisolinae butted Marina's hand with her head before pointing out the window with her tail. "What?" Marina craned her neck to look out of the window. When she spotted the bone dragons curled up in the courtyard, she smiled. "Brilliant! I'll ask the bone dragons if they can take me to the girl!"

"Just be careful they don't catch you, Marina," Nyoko warned. "I don't like the sound of them."

"I know, Nyoko." Marina rose from her chair, yawning. "I think I'll go to bed now. Tomorrow I'll go and ask the dragons if they even know where she is."

Nyoko nodded, slithering out of the room to go and check that everybody was safe and comfortable for the night. He steered clear of the bone dragons, whose bones clicked as they settled down. Zarifi clopped away to check on the other equines.

As the two kuras tigers followed Marina out, a pair of hands grabbed the windowsill, pulling up a man dressed all in black. He sat there for a moment, before smiling in satisfaction. He'd found a guard for his little project at last.


	3. Chapter 3: KidnappedOr Not

**Chapter 3: Kidnapped…Or Not**

Marina spun around, sure she had heard a soft footstep in the hall outside her room. She'd just been writing to her friend, Pheona, before she got ready for bed. Shaking her head at her sudden paranoia, she was about to extinguish the candle sitting on her desk when the door opened and a knife was at her throat.

"I wouldn't move, sweetie," a man's voice said.

Rolling her eyes, she retorted, "Who are you and what are you doing in my Keep?"

"Oh, just a little matter of finding a guard for a project of mine."

"That guard wouldn't happen to be me, by any chance?" Marina said archly.

The man chuckled. "A witty one. I like that."

Suddenly, he was on his back, his own knife point against his throat. His eyes were wide as Marina held him down. "Who are you?"

"Tarel, dark magi," he said, grinning as black magic pulsed from his fingers, engulfing them both. "Apparently, I underestimated your physical ability. But you underestimated me."

Two heavy bodies covered in fur and armored plates crashed through the magic, which broke and fizzled away. Meisinolae held the man down while Jiranslee, her mate, growled nearby. "No, Tarel. _You_ underestimated _me_."

She tied his hands behind his back, and tied his ankles for good measure. Marina added a charm to the ropes that would prevent him from using magic. "We'll have to figure out what to do with him now," Marina said to the tigers. "Jiranslee, could you find Nyoko and Zarifi for me?"

The kuras tiger growled in assent, and Marina massaged her temples with slender fingers.

"You know, you could let me go," said Tarel suggestively.

Marina glared at him, her bright blue eyes snapping with fire. "And risk you trying to take me to guard your stupid project? I don't think so. What _is_ this project of yours, anyway?"

"A little vampire girl. I'm trying to harness her power, you see, but she's grown strong enough to fight me." Tarel didn't seem to notice the absolute stillness that overtook the magi and her tiger. He shrugged. "Of course, I could control her, but there's no telling what that would do to her mind."

"Where is she?" Marina asked indifferently, trying to regain her composure. Such a coincidence. Or maybe not at all. Maybe this was a trap set by the vampire and his son.

"In my laboratory in the forest. She's drugged, so she won't wake up until dawn, but would you kindly remove my bonds so I can make sure she doesn't escape?"

"Quit trying to get me to let you go!" Marina spun on him, fists clenched in anger as a wind whipped around the room. "Do you know what I was asked today? I was visited by a vampire and his son, asking me to return his daughter! The very one I assume you kidnapped! _What are you doing to her?_"

"No need to shout," Tarel said, making an injured face.

Marina just glared at him. "Tell me. Now. A vampire is still a living, breathing person!"

"All right, all right, calm down," he said nervously – Haza and the four bone dragons had roused, and were glaring at him through the open windows. "I've been trying to steal her magic, all right? Vampires are the most powerful magical beings that walk on two legs! Wouldn't you give anything for that kind of power?"

"With great power comes great sacrifice," Marna said sadly, remembering her friend Pheona's boyfriend, who had seen his father die before he inherited his father's sorcerer's amulet. "I am going to find her and bring her back. You are going to come and help me."

"But—" Tarel squeaked.

"But nothing. It was your greed that started this in the first place." Marina untied his wrists ankles and led him into a spare room. "If you try to escape, not only are there Haza and the four bone dragons, there are Haza's mate and hatchlings, Meisolinae and Jiranslee and their hatchlings, and others besides."

Tarel grumbled, but decided to shut up when a decessus rat hissed at him from the shadows. "Oh, and don't disturb Decessa and her mate. They'll be guarding you tonight." Although he rolled his eyes, Tarel appreciated the reprieve. He'd seriously thought the girl was going to kill him.

"Say, what's your name?" he asked as she was about to shut the door.

"Marina, water and air mage of Inasi Keep." She shut the door, and he could hear the lock click. Sighing, he watched the two decessi warily as he settled into bed, wondering what he'd gotten himself into now.


	4. Chapter 4: Fight and Flight

**Chapter 4: Fight and Flight**

Tarel woke to a pair of hostile ice blue eyes. White hair gleamed in his vision, and he shot bolt upright. "What—" Then he realized that it wasn't Marina, but a naga. He relaxed. "What do you want?"

"Marina told me to order you ready to leave in an hour. You will be riding one of the bone dragons." The naga slithered out of the room, disapproval radiating from his being. With a shrug, Tarel allowed himself a small smile of triumph. She would see that a bone dragon was no match for his dark magic!

When Tarel presented himself in the courtyard, he was dismayed to see how adoringly the dragon he was to ride – a male dark bone dragon named Edron – listened to the magi girl. What was her name? Marina. Of course. What else would a water mage be called? Stifling the urge to roll his eyes, he approached the white-haired girl. Why did she even have white hair? She wasn't older than twenty, by the looks of her.

"So…" he said. "I'll fly point, you watch our backs."

She spun so fast her hair nearly hit him in the face. Glaring at him, she said, "You are in no position to give orders. And don't you even try to hijack Edron. He chose me over his old master – the father of your precious _project_."

That was news to Tarel. So Edron was a deserter, then? What had the girl done to deserve such a large amount of respect? "Fine," he snapped. "What do you suggest, then?" His tone was derisive.

"I was going to have you fly point—" As Tarel opened his mouth to tell her that's what he had suggested, she waved her hand impatiently. "Are you going to listen, or not?"

"You need my cooperation to get there."

"I know. So, you are going to fly ahead and take us there. I'm not watching our backs – Aurora is." A puvia looked up at the sound of her name. "Let's go."

Marina checked the straps of the saddle that she had put on Haza, making sure it was snug but not too tight. Impatient, Haza breathed cold air over her, although it had little effect on Marina now. "All right, Haza. Let's go!" Jumping up onto Haza's back, Marina laced her feet through the loops that would help keep her on Haza's back. "Edron!"

The bone dragon roared in affirmative, and the two took off. Aurora flew just behind Haza, her rainbow feathers gleaming in the sunlight.

Tarel applied dark magic to the bone dragon, trying to make it understand that it should like him, a dark magi, better than a useless water magi. Okay, he admitted to himself, she'd gotten the better of him. But it wouldn't happen again. Suddenly, Edron rolled, and Tarel had to grip tightly to the neck bones to stay on. Edron roared, rage clear in the shaking of his head.

Almost immediately, Haza came abreast of them. "Tarel!" Marina snapped. "You tried to get Edron to listen to you, didn't you?"

"Yes. I did," Tarel admitted grumpily. "What the hell did you do to get such allegiance from him?"

Marina stared at him until he fidgeted in discomfort. "I nearly killed him."

"What?" Shocked, Tarel stared at her as she gazed unseeing into the distance. "Why? How?"

"His old master was the vampire I met the day you tried to kidnap me. The vampire wanted them to take me – I don't know where, but he basically told them 'attack!' I doused them with water – you know dragons hate water, except for ice dragons. According to Nyoko and Zarifi, they decided I was much more powerful and since there were four of them to subdue and only one of me, that I definitely merited respect."

Tarel was silent. "Wow. Bone dragons are really loyal. That must have been some show."

"Any creature who is nearly invulnerable will feel respect towards somebody – or something – that can kill them," Marina said bitterly.

"You're pretty cut up about it, aren't you?"

Marina sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "My friend is a fire magi. Her Keep was burned down when she was a child. She learned fire magic to control fire, to protect. Apparently she was really upset when she burned a man in the forest who'd been poaching. I'm scared that I'll lose control, be like one of the Brotherhood, drunk on power."

Tarel chuckled. "If there's anyone less humble than you, I'll eat my boots."

Marina grinned. "You think me saying that you underestimated me is humble?"

"All right, I'll give you that. Down here," Tarel pointed, and the two dragons dived.


	5. Chapter 5: Flaming Glory

**Chapter 5: Flaming Glory**

When the landed, Tarel was on immediate alert. "Something's not right. Hurry!"

The smell of smoke lingered in the air, and black clouds of the stuff billowed from a cave. Marina stopped short. "Don't tell me she's in there."

Tarel nodded, confirming her suspicions. "Come on. If there's ever a time a water magi is needed, it's now."

Flames licked the already black walls of the cave. Raising her hands, Marina conjured ball after ball of water, shooting them into the flames. Tarel looked on helplessly. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Edron. Get him to go in there and see if he can find the girl!" Marina ordered.

"But you're his master!" he protested.

"He'll listen to you now. Just do it!" The fire was lessening, and Marina could see a pattern in the ashes that told her the story. Somebody must have found the hideout – there was a definite sign of a fire started right outside the cave entrance. "Tarel? What was in there?"

"Furniture, clothes, some food, potions…" he trailed off. "The potions! Some of them are flammable!"

"They must have gone off already, Tarel. That's why the fire's so bad!" Anger washed through her, and a ball of water as big as Marina splattered over the flames. They could see Edron emerge, the dark form of a body clutched in his foreclaws. Marina extinguished the last of the fire and collapsed on the ground.

"Eh…Marina? Are you alright?" Tarel asked, squatting by her.

She smiled wanly at him. "Fine. Just tired. I don't normally use so much magic all at once. How's the girl?"

"She's dead," Tarel said gloomily. "Burned to a crisp. Do you know how the fire started?"

"See the pattern of the ashes? Somebody set a fire here. On purpose." Abruptly, Marina collapsed in a dead faint.

"Too much magic," growled Tarel in exasperation and frustration. "Now what?"

Edron dug a grave for the vampire girl, burned beyond recognition, and buried her while Haza glared at Tarel, standing protectively over Marina.

"I'm trying to help her! We've got to get her to a safe place, dragon!"

Haza glared balefully at him, a low growl rumbling in her chest, before she moved away. Tarel picked the girl up in his arms, surprised at how little she weighed. Were her bones hollow or something? His green eyes scanned the surrounding area. "Well. Haza? Could you take Marina to a safe place?"

"Not so fast." Tarel spun around to come face-to-face with a pale-faced man, his black hair slicked back. Then he noticed the red eyes and the identical boy behind him. He guessed it was the vampire and his son that Marina had told him about. "Put her down. I need her to complete a mission for me."

"She's in no state to do a mission! She just used way too much magic trying to rescue somebody who was already dead!" Tarel glared at the vampires. Then he grinned without amusement. "The mission wouldn't be to rescue your daughter, would it? Because she's dead. The fire got her."

"What?" the vampire hissed. "How? Who?"

His son stepped forward. "He could be lying."

"I'm not. Go dig over there. We buried her body."

With a flick of his hand, the vampire sent his son scurrying to dig where Tarel had indicated. Then he glared at Tarel, who hastily laid Marina down, where Haza stood over her once more. "There is a resemblance…you…you're the son of Tamerlein."

Tarel's eyes opened wide. "I am. How do you know my father?"

"He stole my daughter!" Each word was punctuated by a flash of magic the color of dried blood. Where the bolts hit, the ground turned charred and black. When his son cried out, the vampire's face hardened. "And you killed her!"

"I didn't—somebody found her!" Tarel protested, backing up. "Why did you need Marina?"

"Because your father was a fire magi, stupid! I didn't know he had a son!"

"Why—oh. Water against fire. But why Marina?" Tarel was playing for time, trying to think of a way to get himself out of this situation – and Marina, too.

"Because she wouldn't have anyone to miss her once she was gone!" The vampire pointed a finger at Tarel's heart. "You will pay for your father's crimes!"

As a bolt shot from the vampire's fingertips, his son leaped forward with a shout, blocking the bolt with his own body. The magic ricocheted off the son's own magic, killing his father instantly. The son fell, chest rising quickly with shallow breaths. Tarel crouched over him warily.

"Why'd you take the bolt?"

"Father…kills when it pleases him…you are innocent…you didn't commit…your father's crimes." The young vampire smiled painfully. "Otherwise I would be…convicted for…thousands of crimes. He was…going to kill your water magi…after she got…my sister…"

"What did he do to you, anyway?" Tarel asked, ignoring the fact that the vampire had called Marina 'his.'

"It can't be healed, if…that's what you're thinking. It's just…taking longer, because…I blocked part of it…and I'm a vampire. We're better…protected against magic…It was a lethal bolt." The vampire closed his eyes. "Live well, son of Tamerlein."

Tarel knelt there sadly, until a puff of Haza's cold breath made him shiver. "Okay, okay. I'm coming."

Why had the vampire given up his life for a magi his father so clearly hated? Tarel lifted Marina onto Haza's back, strapping her into the saddle. "Take her back to the keep, and Edron too."

Haza cocked her head, and he understood what she was saying – why wasn't he going too?

"There's no point."

"No point to what?" Marina sat up groggily. She tried to untie herself from Haza's back, Marina's head spun and she had to clutch at the saddle to stay upright. "Ookay, maybe I should stay here."

"Yes, you should," Tarel said firmly.

"What happened?" Marina asked, her words slightly slurred. "Why are the vampires here?"

"I don't know." Tarel bit his tongue at the lie – wouldn't it be gentler for her not to know? "Get back to your Keep safely, okay?"

"O-okay. What will you do now?"

"I don't know. I'll find another cave, see what I can…see what I can save…"

Marina hesitated, but then nodded. "Goodbye." Haza sprang into the air, followed closely by Edron and Aurora. She yawned and closed her eyes. "Wake me up when we get back," she whispered.


	6. Chapter 6: Blood Red

**Chapter 6: Blood Red**

Marina woke to the smell of lavender, her favorite scent. She was tucked into her bed, and as she looked outside, she saw that the sun was rising. Stretching, Marina sat up, pulling on her shoes and running a brush through her hair before she headed down to the dining room. Peeking her head into the kitchen, she saw Nyoko and Zarifi, eating their breakfast.

"Good morning! How long did I sleep?" Marina asked worriedly. "Are the creatures okay?"

Nyoko smiled indulgently at his ally's concern. "They're all fine. Here, eat. You've been asleep for three days." He passed Marina a plate of hotcakes and syrup.

"Three days!" Marina took the food, eating voraciously when she realized how hungry she was. "Anything new?"

"Tarel sent you a letter – it's on your writing desk." Nyoko conceded reluctantly that he guessed Tarel was all right after all. Marina giggled, and Zarifi smiled. The centaur rarely laughed.

When Marina finished her breakfast, Zarifi pushed her back into bed, telling her to rest. "Read that letter from your boyfriend."

"Zarifi! Tarel is _not_ my boyfriend!" Marina protested. Zarifi just smiled and winked, handing her the letter before leaving.

As Marina read it, she grew more and more concerned. Tarel had burned the two vampire's bodies and scattered the ashes. That was traditional for vampires, according to a book he had once read. Since the daughter was already turning to dust, he left her in her grave. The vampires were no longer a concern, but he had found a blood red gem, as large as his fist, in the ashes of his home. It _felt_ evil, he said, and his dark magic had no effect on it. Then, one night as he experimented on it, it had burned his flesh and left an evil-looking wound that refused to heal normally. Had she ever heard of something like this?

Trembling slightly, Marina put down the letter and tried to think if she'd ever heard of a gem that harbored dark magic – powerful dark magic, for no normal magic could inflict the kind of wound Tarel described. Then she stood and looked out of the window, where several ice phoenixes were racing each other.

"I wish Mother were here," she whispered to herself, touching the silver locket she wore. She'd never known her father, and her mother had died when she was only fourteen from an incurable disease. "She'd know what to do." Marina's mother had been a very educated scholar; even though she was a weak mage, her knowledge of things often allowed her to use what little magic she had to her best advantage.

Turning from the window, she sat down at her desk and wrote back to Tarel, asking him if she could visit and see the mysterious gemstone. Giving it to the amarth alagos that had delivered Tarel's letter, she asked him to take it back to his magi. The alagos complied, and Marina sighed, heading inside to the extensive library her mother had kept to see if she could find anything that alluded to or spoke of a flesh eating gemstone.


	7. Chapter 7: End of the Circle

**Chapter 7: End of the Circle**

Tiredly, Marina pushed away yet another book. Running a hand through her hair, she sighed, yawning widely. She was sitting in the library, with a fire going in the small grate and a candle on the table, a large, solid wood affair marked with wax drippings and dropped candles, as well as spilled ink and creature's claws. A large pile of books sat on the floor, with more open on the table. The latest book was a thick, old, leather-bound vellum paged book, creased, blurred, and torn in places. In one instance, a whole page had been ripped out, and Marina couldn't shake the feeling that the missing page was important.

Marking down the title and the number of the missing page on a roll of parchment, she slammed the book shut and added it to the pile to her right. Picking up a book from her left, she yawned again and opened it, first scanning the table of contents for anything of importance, then reading through bit by bit. The parchment was for taking note of anything resembling the flesh-eating gemstone or something similar. It was a pitifully short list, to tell the truth.

Marina took a look at the table of contents – this book specialized in dark magics and evil things – and smiled triumphantly. _Gemstones and Their Uses in Dark Magic_ was the title of a chapter, and she quickly flipped through until she found the page.

_Gemstones are very easy items to use for any magic. They tend to absorb magic and then give it off steadily until the supply stored has run out or the gemstone is broken. There are many gemstones throughout the ages that dark magi have used to conquer other magi, such as an incarna, a particularly powerful type gemstone that does not absorb power, but rather generates it's own. _

_Incarnae are very rare, and can be used for many things. An easy way to identify an incarna is it's rich color. Although they can be many colors, incarnae tend to be black, red, or bright green. When combined with some spells, unexpected things may occur, such as loss of substances, flesh, blood, feeling, or limbs. As for how to create incarnae, the creation is so rarely successful that many dub such a feat impossible. However, it is not because it is impossible that incarnate are so rare. It is because to create an incarna, you must find a way to kill a powerful immortal – not a unicorn, although the gemstone found at the base of the horn is powerful – but a true immortal that can never die – a creature that is reborn again as soon as it dies. Phoenixes do not yield powerful incarnae, as they are so common – truly powerful incarnate are the hearts of resurrection horses._

Marina stood violently, shaking like a leaf. The heart of a resurrection horse! Should she believe such a dark and evil book? With trembling handwriting, she quickly scribbled the title of the book and the page, and then slammed it shut and thrust it away from her, nearly knocking over the candle. She caught it, and then rolled up the parchment, capped the inkwell and cleaned her quill. Picking up the parchment and candle holder, she banked the fire and left the library, stealing glances over her shoulder. The book had made her very nervous; she always hated reading scary or disturbing things at night, because then she wouldn't be able to sleep.

Making her way to her room, Marina set the candle down on her table and wrapped her arms around herself, gazing out of the window at the night sky. It was unusually clear tonight, without even a wisp of cloud to dim the brightness of millions of stars. Her bright eyes reflected the pinpoints of light, and she turned her gaze to the stone perches of the fire phoenixes. How did you kill a creature that is reborn when it dies? Shaking her head, she snuffed out the candle and lay down, eyes glittering in the darkness.


	8. Chapter 8: Newborn

**Chapter 8: Newborn**

The next morning, a sleep deprived Marina yanked a brush through her hair, yawning. She'd gotten very little sleep last night, tossing and turning, and she wondered at the wisdom of making a journey, but she'd found something important and she ought to share it with Tarel. _Before_ the silly clunch hurt himself again. He should have known not to tamper with it, being a dark magi and all.

She donned a cloak and her boots and headed downstairs to the library, grabbing the book from the table where she'd shoved it the night before. Today, she wouldn't take Haza with her. An ice dragon might attract unwanted attention. Perhaps she would ride Etar, then, or Nocta. A silly name for a noctis enox, perhaps, but she'd only been little when she'd fist gotten Nocta's egg.

"Leaving so soon?" Zarifi asked as Marina emerged from the Keep into the courtyard.

Marina nodded. "I found something last night that could be exactly what we're looking for. Do you know where Etar is?"

"He's with Innocence somewhere. I don't know where." Zarifi made a face. "I hate it when the enoxes just up and disappear."

Nyoko heard them and slithered over. "Nocta or Lethr can take you." Lethr was a tevera enox, the youngest by far of Marina's enoxes.

"Nocta. I don't think Lethr has the stamina yet," Marina said decisively. "You guys don't mind, do you? I'm really sorry for leaving you guys again."

"Don't worry about it. Go do what you need to do," Zarifi said encouragingly. "You won't have any peace of mind if you don't."

Nyoko just smiled at her. Marina thanked both of them and found Nocta, explaining what they had to do. Soon, she led Nocta outside, waved goodbye to Nyoko, Zarifi, Meisolinae, Jiranslee, and Haza and her mate, and mounted up, the book tucked safely into a bag.

When they finally reached Tarel's new home, another cave in another part of the forest, he emerged from the cave. "Glad you could come," he said with a worn smile. "Here, your enox can stay in the back of the cave – it lets out further up in the mountains."

Ignoring him and taking the bandaged hand, Marina unwound the fabric, pulling a face as the smell of burned flesh reached her nose. She shuddered, and tried not to let Tarel see how much the sight of the wound disturbed her.

Placing her hand gently over the burn, she glowed cyan for a minute, and when she took her hand away, the skin was whole again. "It might still hurt some. I don't know how the magic works, but I healed the wound itself."

"Thank you." Magis could not heal themselves, but most could heal other people or creatures. "Do you want to see the gemstone?"

"I found something in my library that might sound familiar. Is there a place where Nocta could stay?"

Tarel laughed. "You didn't hear me, did you? She can stay at the back of the cave, there's a pass up into the mountains and various other caves. I don't know how far it goes, exactly, or where very turnoff leads."

Marina smiled back. "I guess not. All right. Let's go take a look at the book."

"Before I forget – I found a creature you might want to check out before we do anything – I'm sure you'll be surprised…"

"What is it?" Marina asked curiously, head tilted.

"A resurrection horse. Are you all right?" They'd been walking into the cave, and Marina had stopped dead, every trace of blood draining from her face.

"Is it – is it orphaned?"

He looked at her quizzically. "How did you know? I can't find any trace of the mother."

"She's in that stone you found."

"What?"

"Read this," Marina said dazedly, shoving the book and the paper at him. "What kind of resurrection horse?"

"A valarn resurrection horse, still a hatchling. As far as I can tell, it's actually a brand new child, not a rebirth."


	9. Chapter 9: True Death

**Chapter 9: True Death**

Marina gaped at him. "You're kidding…" Then she thought about the book. Was a true death for a resurrection horse just another life for them? Without their memories? She would have to check.

Tarel read the page and looked up at her with serious green eyes. "Well. That answers the question of where the mother went. Although resurrection horses don't reproduce easily – did the hunter really have the luck to find a mother?"

"I was thinking," Marina said, biting her lip, "that maybe a 'true death' is a completely new life for the horse, without it's memories. There's no way to tell, though."

"We'll just have to read the rest of the chapter. Where on earth did you find this book?" Tarel made a face. "It's full of horrible stuff. It's a dark magi's book, not a water magi's!"

"My mom collected books. Now that she's dead, her collection is mine."

"Really? Your parents – what kind of magi are they? Water?" Tarel led her inside.

"My dad is the water magi – I inherited most of his magic, apparently. I never knew him. My mom was an air magi. She wasn't a very strong magi to begin with, so my air magic is quite weak. Little breezes, stuff like that," Marina explained. "My twin sister, Ali, she's an ice magi. My dad could do ice magic, but I got his talent for water magic, and Ali got his talent for ice magic. She hates water – she says it's too wishy-washy and weak. She doesn't like air magic, either."

"You seem…angry at her," Tarel said. "There, that's the tunnel. Do you want something to eat or drink?"

Marina sighed. "She's difficult, a grump, and so antisocial you'd swear she's a mute and a hermit to boot. Fighting is a hobby with her, and she'll pick fights whenever she can. She likes proving her strength. She moved out when my mother died. Said she didn't want to share Inasi with me anymore. So I guess she is a hermit – she lives up in the mountains." After thanking Nocta and watching her enter the tunnel, Marina answered, "No, I'm all right. Where's the foal?"

"She's right here. I sealed her in with magic, so she couldn't get out." Tarel gestured to a room whose door glowed faintly with black magic. "Do you want to go and see her now?"

"Yes, please." Marina shook her head, shaking thoughts of her twin out of her head. "How old do you think she is?"

Tarel unsealed the doorway, and the hatchling trotted to the back of the room, eyeing them warily. "A few days old, at the most. Foals grow quickly."

"C'mere, girl. I won't hurt you." Marina held out her hands for the foal to sniff, like you would do with a dog. "She's young, all right. Is this normal?" She pointed to a silver mark on the gold bones over the chest.

"I don't think so," Tarel frowned, leaning closer to examine the mark. The resurrection horse snorted, trying to back up, but they had her pinned against the wall. "Don't tell me – you think the stone I found is an incarna, and this foal is where it came from?"

"That's exactly what I'm trying to say. It would support the theory that a 'true death' is another existence, not just a new life with all their memories. A brand-new birth." Marina stood, fists clenched. "This is so wrong. And I think I know who did it, too."

Tarel looked up at her in surprise. "Who? _I_ didn't do it, if that's what you're thinking. I wouldn't ask you to identify it if I did."

"No. I think your 'experiment' did."


	10. Chapter 10: Incomplete

**Chapter 10: Incomplete**

Tarel stared at Marina. "You're not serious."

"Deadly serious," she retorted, giving him a look. "Who else could it have been? I don't think whoever made it would have just left it there for you to find – they'd try and find it again. It can't have been easy to make. If the vampire girl created it, and she died in the fire without telling anybody about it, then nobody would know it even existed, right?"

"I guess," Tarel agreed. "See if you can get cozy with it. I'm going to study that book. Maybe you can try and figure out what happened."

"Perhaps," Marina said doubtfully.

Tarel hesitated at the doorway. "Thanks for coming, Marina. Even after I tried to kidnap you."

She smiled. "You didn't succeed, did you? And some things you just can't ignore. Like flesh-eating jewels and spontaneous fires where nobody should know you live."

He nodded, disappearing to read the book she had brought. Turning back to the foal, she sat down to talk with it.

An hour later, Tarel stuck his head into the cave-room. "Any luck?" he whispered.

Marina grinned at him. The foal had it's head in her lap, and she was stroking it's bony neck. "Definitely. I can't talk to her, but I know somebody who can talk to her unicorn, who can talk to the foal. What will you name her?"

"Name her?" Tarel was surprised. "She's yours. You're the one who tamed her."

"You found her," Marina pointed out.

Tarel shook his head. "I don't keep creatures with me – none of them ever seem to want to stay. You'd better keep her."

"They don't stay? That's odd," Marina frowned thoughtfully. "Maybe it was the vampire girl?"

Tarel stepped inside and sat down beside her, moving slowly so as not to startle the foal. "Maybe."

They sat in silence for a moment. "Where do you want to sleep? You can have my bed, I'll sleep in here or something. There's a half dozen other caves in here," Tarel offered.

Marina shook her head. "I'll be fine here. Except – can build a fire? It'll be cold."

"You don't think I'll make you sleep without blankets or anything, do you?" Tarel asked, offended. "I'll go get some now. And you can build a fire, if you want. I don't use this cave."

Marina nodded. "Thanks." She stood, and the foal protested, stamping it's hooves on the floor. "I think I'll call her Tira."

Tarel left and returned shortly with a pile of blankets. "Here. I couldn't find a pillow – I hope that's okay."

"It's fine." Marina took them and placed them in the corner. "Let me see that gem. Let's see if Tira reacts to it at all."

"Come out here – it's on my desk." He showed her the dark gem. "Huh. It's gotten lighter. It was really dark before."

It was multifaceted, and a deep ruby color. "This is lighter? It must have been almost black."

Tarel nodded. "So…let's take it to Tira."

"No need – she followed me," Marina gestured down to the foal. As soon as she saw the gem, she reared, mane and tail flaring. "I guess that answers my question. Is there a way to reverse it? I'd hate for her to be missing something because of this." She put a hand on the book.

Tarel picked up the gem, and the foal suddenly whinnied, shrill and sharp, and knocked it out of his hands. She'd suddenly grown into her full self, gold and blue and extremely angry. The gem shattered against the ground, and black and red magic flashed out, blinding them all.


	11. Chapter 11: Aftermath

**Chapter 11: Aftermath**

Bright green eyes gazed back at her from a watchful face. Rynu. Cyan eyes like her own replaced the green. Ali. Warm red ones. Pheona. Blue ones. Keisin. The same green eyes again. Rynu, again. Brown ones. Tarel? Angry red ones. The vampire. A scaly face whose eyes were wrapped with cloth. Medusa. This time, instead of letting the face change, Marina formed a question.

_Medusa? Where am I?_

The basilisk opened it's mouth, but instead of fangs, faces glared out at her. Rynu. Pheona. Ali. Her mom. Tarel. Keisin. Rosa. Haza. Edron. Marina tried to turn her head away from the sight, but wherever she turned, it was the same thing. Faces glaring at her, not speaking. Suddenly, it changed. Ali reached out to her, her normally impassive face streaked with tears. Dark tendrils wrenched them apart. She thought she saw her friends behind her twin, but they dissolved into blackness.

Bright lights whirled around her, looming in. They were scenes from her past, all the moments when she'd been scared or angry, sad or in pain. All the worst moments. When Ali had locked her in the nandi bear pen. Rynu leaving for The Brotherhood. Her mother, dying. Ali screaming at her, the day she left to live in the mountains. When she'd lost her favorite necklace when she was three. Burning her fingers when she was six years old. The death of her two normal cats, within two years of each other. And then there were some scenes that had never occurred – Ali and Pheona fighting each other, Rynu going back to The Brotherhood and hunting her down, Inasi in ruins. She fought not to see them, but they were there no matter what she did.

_Wake up, Marina!_ Pheona's voice, telling her to wake up. The vision where Pheona and Ali fought loomed in her vision. They stopped, and reached out to her.

_You can't die._ Ali. The kaleidoscope spun, stopping in the vision where Rynu and Demetre were allies. The Dark Brotherhood faded into nothingness as she watched.

_You're needed._ Rynu reached out as well, and somehow, Pheona and Ali were there with him. The three most important people in her life. She reached out to them, but they disappeared into nothingness.

Marina woke to an agitated whinny and Tarel's voice telling her to wake up.

"Wake up! Stupid, stupid, it's my fault…"

She blinked, sitting up. She winced as the world spun. Disoriented, she shuddered, tears tracing tracks down her cheeks. She fought to keep the visions she'd seen away. Awkwardly, Tarel squeezed her arm and mopped her tears with a sleeve. "Marina? Are you all right?"

Marina nodded wordlessly, taking a deep breath and getting herself under control. "I'm all right. What happened?"

Tira nuzzled Marina to make sure she was okay. "The gem broke, and black magic knocked us out. I think. I don't really know what happened after that, but Tira accidentally stepped on me. That silver mark on her chest – it's blue now, like her fire," Tarel explained. "Do you want some water?"

"Yes, please," Marina answered. She took the proffered cup and drank slowly. "Is the gem still here?"

"Yeah, but it's completely white now, except when Tira is angry, it flashes blue and gold. See?" Tarel held out the stone, which was now shattered into six larger shards and several smaller ones. As they watched, the dancing colors calmed and the stone became pure white.

"This is what comes of messing with unknown magic," Marina said, shaking her head. She pushed herself to her feet, stumbling. "I feel really weird."

"Me too. Try using your magic," Tarel urged, catching her by the elbow. Apparently he'd already adjusted.

She did, and couldn't coalesce even a drop of water. "What the…" She tried making a breeze, a shard of ice. Nothing.

"I think the incarna zapped our magic. I don't know if we can get it back."

"W-what?" Marina sat down sharply. She cradled her head in her hands, new tears forming. "There's got to be a way to reverse this. There _has_ to be."


	12. Chapter 12: Blood Sacrifice

**Chapter 12: Blood Sacrifice**

"We'll find a way. I promise. This is all my fault."

Marina looked up, her gaze fierce. "Don't you dare say that. It's not your fault."

"Yes, it is. I'm the one who kept the girl, I'm the one who got you involved in this, I'm the one who made you come up here and see the incarna, I'm the one who dropped it—"

"Stop it right now," Marina said, glaring at him. "It's not your fault. You couldn't have known what she could do, you didn't know what the gem could do, and you didn't drop it on purpose. We scared Tira with it."

Tarel conceded defeat. "Fine. But this still sucks."

"Yes. It does." Marina stood up, shaking off his hand. "Who would know anything about this?"

"Another vampire, maybe? Maybe it's an instinctual thing for them," Tarel suggested.

"Maybe. Or a sorcerer. Or…a dark magi."

"You're not serious."

"Deadly. Who else would know? The only problem is that they might not want to help fix this." Marina paced, thinking. "I have a few friends I can ask. If they don't know, we're going to have to find someone else."

"All right, I guess. That's the only option we have," Tarel said.

"No," Marina corrected. "There is another option. Give up. But I'm not going to. Let's go."

"Wait! Do you really want to set out now? I mean, it's already late, we're both tired and magicless, and you already traveled once today."

Marina shook her head. "You're right. I'm just too worked up."

"I guess I'll get lunch made," Tarel said awkwardly.

"I'll help."

"No, it's fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! Go rest or read or something."

Marina nodded, picking up the book. "Do you mind if I take one of the shards?"

"Not at all. It is your horse's heart. Egad, that sounds horrible."

She picked up a piece, and rubbed it absentmindedly with her fingers. A spot of blood appeared on her fingertip where the shard sliced through the skin. As it fell, the shard became glassy red again, flashing with black light, before becoming white again. "Blood?" Marina whispered. "Surely it isn't that easy…" She raised a hand, water pooling in her palm. "Yes! Tarel!"

"What, what?" He ran to the door. "What happened now?"

"Look!" She flung the water at him.

He ducked. "How…?"

"Blood. That's it." Marina showed him the cut on her finger and experimentally squeezed another drop onto the gem. It flashed again. "See?"

"Do you have all your magic?" Tarel asked cautiously, picking up another shard and examining it. Only Marina's shard had flashed – he must have to do it himself for it to return his magic.

"I think so. It's an offering, do you see? Blood for magic." Marina pulled a face. "Disgusting, by the way. But still great for us that it's only blood. Not a life."

Tarel tried it himself. "No, not all the magic. Don't do it anymore, we don't know how much blood is required before we get our magic back entirely. There's got to be another way."

Marina sighed. "I guess." She put the shard down. "Do you have paper and ink and a quill? I want to write to my friends, ask them if they know anything."

"Yeah, there's some in my desk," Tarel said distractedly. "The alagos that I sent to you should still be around somewhere. I was feeding her, so she stayed. I don't know where she is, though."

"I'll find her." Marina hunted down the parchment and began writing.

_Dear Pheona, Rynu, and Keisin,_ she wrote. She tapped her fingers against the desk and wrote out the story. _Have you guys heard of anything like this, or know of a way to fix it? Let me know if you do, or send word to Nyoko and Zarifi. They'll make sure I get it. Love, Marina._

Rolling it up, she went outside to find the alagos Tarel had been feeding. She wondered since when he'd been feeding it and where he'd found it. Alagoses weren't all that common, not like phoenixes. There it was, perching in a tree near the mouth of the cave. Marina held out the rolled up letter. "Would you take this to Pheona, fire magi of Avalon Keep?"

The bird took the parchment in one claw and took off. "Thank you!"

Marina went back inside. "She took it. What are you going to name her? She was waiting for you."

Tarel glanced up from the pot of stew he was boiling. "What?"

"She was in that tree by the mouth of the cave – you know, the one that looks like a bird in flight?"

"Oh. I didn't know that. She's not going to stay, I already told you. Creatures don't stay with me for long."

"How long have you been feeding her?"

"A couple of months."

"What was the longest time a creature stayed?"

"A couple of months."

"Which creature?"

"The amarth alagos." Tarel shifted uncomfortably. "Just drop it, okay?"

"All right," Marina conceded. "It's done now."

"I know," Tarel said, spooning it into two bowls. He handed Marina one, and a spoon. "I don't have any bread."

"That's all right." Marina blew on a spoonful. "I hope Pheona writes back soon."


	13. Chapter 13: Nachta

**Chapter 13: Nachta**

_Caw!_ The two magi jumped as a harsh caw sounded from the entrance. The amarth alagos soared through the cave and alighted on Tarel's shoulder. "Hello," he said, mildly surprised that the alagos would come to him so readily.

"I think this is for you," he said, handing Marina a rolled-up piece of parchment.

_Marina -  
>I'm not sure about anything like that, but Rynu seemed really upset when he read the note. I think he's trying to find you - he's probably at Inasi. He'll probably know more than either Keisin or I - but Keisin said to wrap the stone in a dark cloth just in case. If you put the stone somewhere that won't touch flesh, it won't react when you hold it.<br>Be careful! If you need any help, let me know and I'll head over there as quickly as Lir can run!  
>- Pheona<em>

Marina shook her head in exasperation. "Idiot. He might get his magic tapped too."

"Who?" Tarel asked curiously.

She looked up. "My friend Rynu. He wants to come and help."

"Oh. What did they say?"

"To wrap it in a dark cloth and leave it somewhere where we can't touch it. If we don't touch it, it won't react. Hopefully."

"Okay, then. I have an old shirt we can use." Tarel put down his bowl and rummaged in a basket. "Here. I was going to cut it up anyway." He tossed a bundle of dark cloth at her.

She reached out a hand and caught the shirt. Quickly, she gathered the fragments into the cloth and went to her cave-room to fetch the last shard. Tying the sleeves around the bundle, she dropped it in a corner behind the basket.

"There. Can I have another piece of paper? I want to write back to Pheona and tell her we followed her advice and write to Centurion and Zarifi and Rynu. Okay, make that two pieces of paper," Marina said, laughing.

"Sure. Do you have anyone else you know who might know?"

"One…but she's only _part_ vampire."

"WHAT?" Tarel dropped his bowl; it shattered on the floor. "You know a part vampire?"

Marina winced at the splintering sound. "Careful. You're breaking things left and right." She glowed cyan and a slight breeze swept the broken pottery into a small pile. "Yes. She's a water magi, like me. Her mom was a magi, her father the vampire Kain."

"Interesting. The name sounds familiar, in a distant way…" Tarel seemed to have forgotten about the bowl. He noticed her picking up the shards and exclaimed, "Oh! Did I do that?" He grabbed a rag and the two of them cleaned up the mess.

"There," Marina said, tipping the shards into the basket where he kept all the broken, maybe-useful things that he had. "I'm going to write now, okay?" She took the paper and ink and disappeared into the cave again.

Tarel watched her go with a sigh. She had so much energy, like a little child, yet she was so mature. He realized he didn't know how old she was – twenty? Twenty one? Most likely. He looked at the alagos, which was now perched on the end of his bed. "What shall I do with you, pretty one?" he asked it. He stroked the firey orange and black feathers. "Nachta."

The alagos chirped and hopped onto his shoulder. "I'm not a fire magi, little one, but you're fine with that, I guess."

"Tarel?" Marina had finished writing. "Can I borrow your alagos again?"

"Sure," Tarel answered, and Nachta fluttered over to the white-haired water magi. "I've named her Nachta."

"That's a wonderful name," Marina said, smiling. Tarel felt an answering smile on his own lips. Maybe he'd been missing out on a lot, living like a hermit with only the surly vampire girl for company.

"Would you take this to Pheona again, and this to April of Herbal Grace Keep?" Marina asked the alagos, tying the two pieces to one of Nachta's legs. "And this one, would you take it to Rynu? He should be at Inasi Keep, but if you can't find him, could you give it to Nyoko or Zarifi? Thank you!"

Nachta took off, circling lazily in front of the cave before wheeling towards Synara. "I hope she finds them all okay."

"She'll be fine. If not, she'll come back. She's very smart," Tarel said.

"How would you know, Mr. Alagos? You said it yourself, you don't keep creatures," Marina teased.

"She just _seems_ very, very intelligent, almost like a human," he remarked. "Say, where's that cat of yours? The tienko?"

"How do you know about Shallal?" Marina asked sharply. He hadn't seen the tienko with her, and she'd never told him about her.

"Er…" Tarel floundered. "I was spying on you."


	14. Chapter 14: Identity Crisis

**Chapter 14: Identity Crisis**

"You WHAT?" Marina yelled. "You—you—! For how long?" she demanded, eyes flashing.

Tarel put his hands up, backing away. "Easy there."

"For how long?" Marina repeated dangerously.

"A couple of days," Tarel answered quickly, cowering. Strange how a girl smaller than him could scare him so much.

Marina breathed deeply. "Why?" she asked, slightly calmer.

"I wanted you to guard the girl, remember? Her name was Lask," Tarel said quietly. Repentantly. "I had to make sure you were the right person to…er…kidnap."

The tension flowed out of Marina's body. "Right. Shallal's at my keep. I didn't want her to get hurt."

"It looks like you might be staying here awhile. You can go get her, if you'd like."

Marina shook her head. "If she wants me, she'll come find me."

Rynu jumped off Yin's back. "Good boy," he murmured, patting Yin's neck. He led the noctis enox to the water trough in the courtyard before knocking on the door of the old castle.

"Yes?" Marina opened the door.

Rynu frowned. Something was off…her hair was black. What gives? he thought. "What happened to your hair?" he demanded.

"Who are _you_?" Marina asked, frowning.

"What do you mean, who am I? You've known me since you were what, nine?" Rynu snapped.

"I don't know you. If you're looking for Marina, you've got the wrong twin. This give you any indication, genius?" the girl asked, running her fingers through her black hair.

"I didn't know Marina had a twin," Rynu said, eyes wide. That would explain the black hair and cold welcome.

"Well, she does. If she never told you, it's not my problem."

"Do you know where she is?" Rynu asked, hand shooting out to stop her from shutting the door on him.

"Of course not. I just got here. I can't find Nyoko or Zarifi, and none of the other creatures can talk." It was just like her sister to gallivanting off without telling her. Not that she expected to be told anything. She lived on her own in the mountains, rarely coming down. Now she had to deal with this idiot herself. "You can go now. She's not here, I don't know where she is, or when she'll be back."

She shut the door in Rynu's face. "Hey!" he yelled, pounding his fist on the door. How could she be Marina's twin? Marina was never this rude or grumpy. "What the hell?"

The girl yanked the door open. "Do I have to tell you to go away?" she asked, giving him a dark glare.

"Who are you?" Rynu asked.

"Ali, ice magi. Now go away or I'll freeze your eyeballs in your head." Ali slammed the door again.

"Geeze," Rynu murmured.

Medusa hissed with annoyance and laughter. _It looks like you've met somebody who's just as grumpy as you are._

"Oh, be quiet, Medusa. Now what?"

_Do you know where a window you can get in is?_

"I could get in the kitchen door," Rynu considered. "But if Marina's not here, what's the point?"

_I don't know. But will you really just walk away and forget about her?_

"Of course not!" Rynu exclaimed, offended. He strode around the side of the keep, coming to the kitchen door. "I wonder if she locked it."

Rynu turned the handle and murmured, "She locked it."

_There's an open window up there,_ Medusa suggested, pointing with her tail. _You did say you needed tree climbing practice._

"You're right. You coming?"

_Of course. What if you get attacked by her twin?_

"I can handle myself!" Rynu retorted, offended.

Medusa didn't answer. Rynu climbed a tree near the open window and leaped onto the roof. He slipped a little on the roof tiles, and then gingerly lowered himself until his toes touched the windowsill. Any farther and he would have fallen – it was actually quite far from the roof, even for him. He slid his feet forward before letting go of the roof, climbing through the window.

He stopped, looking around. The room was hung with a few small tapestries – they depicted the keep in the four seasons – and had an insanely cyan and white feel to it. Random stones glittered in the stray sunlight, and crystals hung from the ceiling. The bed was a canopy, with cyan and white sheets with silver embroidery. A table held a mirror and a brush. A small tank in the corner held a myriad of small leviathan hatchlings. One of the walls was completely taken up by a large bookshelf, crammed with colorful books. A few stood by the bed, too. This was definitely Marina's room.

Medusa observed this and the blush that came over Rynu's face with a silent grin. Rynu made a hasty exit, carefully shutting the door behind him. He turned a corner in search of the stairs and ran into the black-haired twin.

"What the hell?" she exclaimed, jumping back. "How did you get in here?"

"I climbed in through a window. I need to talk to Marina, please? Is there anybody who knows where she is?"

Ali frowned. _He must really like her to be climbing through windows to figure out where she is._ "Nyoko said she went off with Nocta to find some dark magi. Wait until he gets back from checking the aquatics at the lake, he should know more specifics. Now go sit in the kitchen and don't touch anything. I don't want to be blamed for something you screw up."

_Wow. Four whole sentences,_ the blue raza cobra draped around Ali's neck said, amused.

"Shut up, Vesper," Ali grumped.

Just then, an amarth alagos pecked the nearby window. Ali jumped, glared accusingly at Rynu, and opened the window. The alagos soared over to Rynu, landing on his arm and holding out a leg to which a message was attached. A vine indicated his. What had she written? he wondered, slightly panicked. He still couldn't read fluently, even after all the time she spent teaching him.


	15. Chapter 15: Arrival

**Chapter 15: Arrival**

Rynu took the paper and unrolled it. The alagos moved to the windowsill to wait for Rynu's answer. For a minute, Rynu stared at the page. Then he chuckled. She'd written in pictures. A little drop of water - herself. The vine and leaf was him. Pheona was a little flame, Keisin a sun, like his amulet. He guessed that the dark blot was the dark magi she was talking about. The drop started at the keep and traveled with a little noctis enox to a place in the mountains where the blot was. The alagos that probably represented the messenger went first to Avalon Keep, then back to the blot and the drop.

After that, it went to Avalon, Herbal Grace, and finally, Inasi, where the vine and leaf was, with a question mark.

She was in the mountains with the dark magi, and they had sent the alagos with the first message to Avalon, and when it had taken the message back, sent it to Avalon with another message for Pheona, to Herbal Grace, presumably with a message for April – yes, there was a drop with an A in it, he recognized that – and then to Inasi, where the vine and leaf and question mark indicated she thought he was at Inasi but wasn't sure. A cross marked the dotted path that the vine took to the blot and drop – she didn't want him to come. A shriveled vine marked the cross – what did that mean?

He thought. The stone absorbed magic – she didn't want him to go because he might lose his magic? "Tough luck," he murmured. He realized there were words on the bottom, presumably a translation of the pictures in case he didn't understand them.

Ali was standing there in front of him with her arms crossed. "What does it say?"

"I…I can't read," Rynu mumbled, almost too quiet to hear. "She wrote in pictures for me."

"You…you can't read?" Ali asked, chuckling. Then openly laughing, clutching her stomach. At length, she wiped her eyes and asked, "She never tried teaching you?"

Rynu blushed. "Yeah. But I don't have the patience to learn. Can you read this?" He held out the paper to her.

"Of course," she answered, taking the paper. She grinned at the pictures before reading the written words. "'Dear Rynu,'" she read, "'Nachta, the alagos, is the same one that brought Pheona the last one. I am in the mountains with Tarel, the magi I told you guys about, and we're still trying to figure out how to get our magic back. I've asked April if she knows anything – that should be one of the other letters Nachta has. Don't come, I don't want your magic getting sucked up too, okay? Love, Marina.'"

"Does she always start and end so formally?" Rynu wanted to know.

"Yes." Ali handed back the letter. "Were you hoping something else?" she asked archly.

"No. I'll be leaving, then. Thanks," Rynu said awkwardly. "Can I go out the front door?"

"I guess," Ali said, waving a hand dismissively. Now that he stopped to think about it, Ali was wearing black robes with silver and ice blue embroidery, whereas Marina wore white or silver. Ali turned and disappeared around a corner, leaving Rynu to find his own way out.

Opening the door, Rynu whistled for Yin. The noctis enox trotted out of the forest, stretching his wings. "You up for a long flight?" Yin nodded an affirmative, and Rynu mounted up. "I'm not exactly sure where we're going – I'm hoping this alagos will take us, okay?"

Nachta ruffled her feathers and took off, circling lazily before arrowing away in a northerly direction. Yin flew after her, unwittingly tracing the exact same path Nocta had earlier in the day.

Nachta appeared in the cave a little before sunset, cawing happily. Marina noticed there were only two letters. Taking them both from the alagos, she opened them. One from Pheona, one from April. What about Rynu?

"Marina?"

She glanced up, startled. "Rynu! I told you to stay away!" she scolded, frowning at him.

"So I might not be able to make vines grow. Whoopdee do. I'm more worried about _you_."

Marina rolled her eyes. "You know you rely on your magic more than that." She thumped him in the shoulder. "Did you translate the pictures okay?"

"I had your twin read the written stuff to me, too. You never told me you had a twin!" he protested, rubbing his shoulder.

She froze. "Ali was at Inasi?"

"Yeah. You didn't know?" Was she upset?

"No, I didn't. She rarely ever visits." _Why are you there NOW, Ali?_ she thought, grumbling to herself. She wasn't there to do damage control when Ali got in a fight with Zarifi and Nyoko – which almost always happened, even if she was Marina's twin. Marina sank down to the floor, holding her head. "Stupid, stupid, stupid."

"What? Did I say something wrong?" Rynu asked awkwardly, kneeling down next to her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Ali just is going to cause a lot of arguments. I don't even know why she comes to visit anymore."

_Why are you there NOW, Ali?_ Ali started. That wasn't her thought. And she knew nobody who could speak with their minds…she dismissed the thought, while wondering where Marina was.

Marina jerked her head up. "What?"

"I didn't say anything," Rynu said, confused.

"Who did, then? I heard somebody say, 'Why did Marina leave without telling me?'" Marina bit her lip, a nervous habit. "You don't think…you don't think I'm going crazy, do you?"

"Naw…you're probably just really tired. Do you have a place to sleep?"

"Yeah, but…I want to read April's letter first." She yawned. "Then I'll go to sleep. Are you going to stay?"

Tarel appeared from some hidden passage in the back of his home and stopped upon seeing the newcomer. "Hello. You must be Rynu. I'm Tarel."

Rynu just nodded in reply. "I don't know," he said to Marina.

"Ask, him then, silly," Marina said, yawning again. She unrolled April's letter.

_Dear Marina,_

_I've heard of it before, my mother told me to stay away from them when I was little. Since I lived with my uncle for a long time after that, I never got to know much about them - but I do think I have a book about it somewhere in my library...would you like me to bring one over or do you want to come get it?_

_Love,  
>April<em>

"April knows something about this!" Marina said excitedly, jumping up, exhaustion momentarily forgotten. "She says she probably has a book about it, too. And she wants to know if she should bring the book, or if we want to go get it. What do you say?"

"I don't think taking it around anywhere is a good idea," Tarel said, frowning. "Could she bring it to us? Nachta would guide her here."

"I suppose. Is she up for another flight, though? She's flown a lot today."

Tarel looked at the alagos, feeling the heat it gave off. It was cool for an alagos, which was not good. "No, I don't think so. I'm no expert on creatures, but she's cold for an alagos."

"Keep her by the fire, then. I'm sure we can find another way," Marina said. "Maybe I'll go see her tomorrow morning, then."

"I can go now," Rynu offered quietly, almost mumbling. "I haven't done squat all day except argue with your twin. Neither has Yin except for flying to Inasi and then here."

"If you want to," Marina said sleepily. "I think I'll go to sleep now."

"Take Nachta with you, or you might not find your way back. Are you going to stay at the vampire's keep?"

"She's only part vampire," Marina interjected, wandering into her cave. She curled up on a pile of blankets, with a couple over her. Tira lay down beside her, sharing her fiery warmth. She'd left the earth magi alone because she sensed her magi liked him; she'd get in trouble if she made things difficult. Plus she was tired, anyway.

"I'll be leaving now. I should be back by tomorrow morning. If not, I'll be back by the end of the day. April might insist I stay at her keep for the night."

"Right then. Do you need food?"

"I'm fine." Rynu turned and stroked Medusa's head absentmindedly. The dark magi blinked – he hadn't noticed the snake around the earth magi's shoulders.


	16. Chapter 16: Insane Illusions

**Chapter 16: Insane Illusions**

Outside, Rynu whistled for Yin again. "Sorry, Yin, but we've got to fly to Herbal Grace to get some book Marina needs. Are you up for it?" The enox snorted emphatically, as if to say 'Of course! What do you take me for, a hatchling?'

_Where's the alagos?_ Medusa asked.

"Uh…she was inside…" Rynu turned to go back, but Tarel came out with the alagos perched on his arm.

"I don't think she should fly – can she ride with you? She can still guide you, but she's rather exhausted."

"I can find my way to Herbal Grace fine, it'll be coming back. She can stay here, and when you guys see me coming, she can guide us in. I know the general area, at least."

Tarel relaxed. "Thanks. I don't want to work her to death."

"She'll let you know if you're working her too hard." Rynu mounted up and he and Yin trotted off to find a better place for taking off.

Ali couldn't shake off the feeling that something was talking to her. Was she going crazy? Nobody else was near, and none of the creatures could talk. She realized that it was getting late, and decided to leave. There was no point in staying any longer – it appeared that Marina was going to be gone for a long time. Picking up her cloak, she was about to leave when she spotted a clear piece of glass on the floor. Frowning, she picked it up. Normally Marina was much more careful than to leave broken things everywhere.

Blackness enveloped her, and she fell to the ground in a dead faint. Far away, Marina jolted awake, breathing hard, heart racing.

What had just happened? She'd been dreaming, and then she'd bolted awake, scared of something. Adrenaline gave her a new awareness, as if she could sense things that weren't there. She felt like she was in two places at once – sprawled on a thickly carpeted floor, and sitting up on her makeshift bed. Closing her eyes, she calmed herself. Suddenly, she was the one sprawled on the floor, and distantly she could feel herself sitting on a pile of blankets. When she tried to open her eyes, she couldn't. She couldn't move her arms or legs, either.

Tira nuzzled the glassy-eyed form of Marina in the blue-white glow of her mane and tail. Her magi was awake, but not responding. Worried, she got up, gently biting the sleeve of Marina's robes, shaking the water magi's arm.

Was her arm moving? No…the ghost sensation faded as Ali opened her eyes. She felt horrible. Pushing herself to her feet, she swayed for a moment. The shard of glass had shattered on the floor, becoming dust. Blinking, she felt her neck for the cool comfort of Vesper's scales. The snake hissed, curling around her neck worriedly.

"I'm okay. That piece of glass must have carried some battle magic or something."

Marina snapped back to reality with a gasp. She'd seen…no, she'd _been_ Ali for a handful of moments. She'd felt the cool scales of her twin's raza cobra against her neck, felt the worn but thick carpet of Inasi Keep's front hall. "Tira, do you think I'm going crazy?"

_No, I don't think so. You're just tired. Go back to sleep._

Marina shot to her feet with a loud yelp. "Please tell me you actually spoke and I'm not hearing things."

_Okay. I spoke._

Marina screamed, backing away from Tira, only to run into somebody behind her – Tarel. As she wobbled, he held her close, helping her regain her balance. "What's wrong, Marina?"

"I'm going crazy!" Marina said, panicking. "I felt like I was Ali, now I'm hearing Tira speak in my mind!"

_I already told you, you're not crazy._

"Did you hear that?" Marina demanded, turning to face Tarel.

"Hear what?" Tarel asked, confused. "I didn't hear anything."

Marina groaned, putting a hand over her eyes. "Great. Just great. I'm going insane!"

_Rina!_ Nocta trotted into view, happily nuzzling her magi as Tarel stepped back to let her pass. _It's so much fun here! Are you okay?_ the noctix enox asked suddenly, Marina's terrified face registering in her mind.

"No, I'm not. I'm going insane, Nocta. I can hear you and Tira, and I swear I was just in Ali's mind."

_You only think you're going insane,_ Nocta said wisely. _All creatures can talk. Except now you can hear us._

_Why, though?_ Tira wanted to know. _And why now?_

"I don't know," Marina said shakily, hugging herself. She was cold now, and frightened. Her cyan eyes, already large from fright at the dream or vision or whatever it was, were huge now, and her whole body shook.

"Easy, Marina," Tarel said, putting his arms around her to steady her again. "Shush. It's okay. You're not going insane. I don't know if you were talking to Nocta and Tira, but we'll figure out what's going on. It's going to be a lot easier to figure out why you can talk to creatures telepathically than to find out about the stone, I reckon."

Marina clung to his warmth, the shivers subsiding. "Okay," she said, taking a deep breath. "Okay. I'll be okay now." She was suddenly conscious of how tight he was holding her.

When he felt her stiffen, he dropped his arms. "Sorry. You looked like you were going to fall over."

"Thanks," she said softly. "I think…I think I'll go sit outside for a little bit."

"Do you want company?"

Marina shook her head. "Tira and Nocta will be fine. You should get some more sleep. I'm sorry about waking you up."

"That's all right. Don't stay up all night," he warned before retreating into the darkness at the back of the cave.

Marina went outside and sat on a stone, staring at the starry sky. Tira stood behind her, lending her warmth. Nocta disappeared silently into the trees on some mysterious errand that only she knew about.


	17. Chapter 17: Competition

**Chapter 17: Competition**

Marina paid no heed to Tarel's admonition to get some more sleep. She was still sitting there when he got up to make breakfast. "Were you out here the rest of the night?" he wanted to know.

She looked up at him, shaking herself from her trancelike state. "What? Yes, I was."

"I told you to get some sleep," he said, exasperated. "How are you going to figure out this jewel when you're exhausted?"

"I'm not. Tira's been lending me energy."

"She can do that?" Tarel asked, surprised.

"She says they all can."

"Speak in something other than a monotone," Tarel pleaded. "What do you want to eat?"

"Whatever you make. I'm not that hungry."

Tarel sighed and went back inside. A roar made Marina look up at the sky, and a smile broke out across her face as she spotted Haza and Nocta approaching. _Haza!_ she cried joyously. During the night she had come to terms with her new ability to speak to creatures. She couldn't speak to creatures she didn't know, but she'd talked with Tira a lot.

_Nocta told me what's been going on,_ the black ice dragon said as she landed. A black tienko riding on her back jumped to the ground and leapt into Marina's arms. "Shallal!"

_I thought you might want company,_ Nocta said.

Marina hugged the enox around the neck with one arm. "Thanks, Nocta. It means a lot to me."

_Where's your earth magi? Nocta said he was here,_ Haza asked wickedly. Marina hadn't thought her dragon could be so mischievous.

_He's not MY earth magi, and his name's Rynu. He's gone to Callisto Islands to get April's book._

_I could probably get there faster than his enox can. And I haven't taken a long flight in a long, long time. Can I go? Please?_ There was a childlike quality in the eager pleading.

"What for, though?" Marina asked out loud. Shallal wound her way around Marina's shoulders like a fur stole.

_He'll get back faster._

"It's a small world when you can fly there and back in a couple of days. Fine, go." Haza took off happily and was a dot in the distance when Marina realized that not everybody could speak to creatures. Oops. She sighed. Oh well. Hopefully Rynu would recognize Haza and not think she was in trouble.

Marina sat on a stone by the flying bird tree, the dark book forgotten on her lap. She was staring at the sky, in the southeasterly direction of Callisto Islands. Shallal lay stretched out along a branch of the tree, split tail dangling lazily in the still air.

_You're getting edgy, _Tira said from beside her magi. She, too, looked up at the sky. _I told you, as did Shallal and Nocta, that we'd tell you as soon as Haza got in range._

_I know, but that doesn't mean I can't worry,_ Marina said, stroking Tira's bone nose. _It's been almost two days._

Shallal opened an eye lazily. _You really like him, don't you?_

Marina started. _Who?_

_Rynu,_ Shallal answered, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

Marina blushed. _Shut up, Shallal._ Her companions grinned at each other.

_Marina!_ Haza called jublilantly. _We're coming!_

Her magi sprang to her feet, book dropping onto the ground. "Oops…" she murmured, picking up the book and placing it on the rock she'd been sitting on. _Haza! Where are you?_

_Maybe five minutes away as a dragon flies._

Marina grinned. Trust it to Haza to change a human saying to fit her! She stroked Shallal's spine as she waited, watching the sky. When Haza appeared and landed, she ran towards the ice dragon, flinging her arms around her neck. "You're back!"

"Sure, ignore me," Rynu said sarcastically. "I have your book."

_He actually has several books. April insisted,_ Medusa put in. _Go on, tell her._

"You don't have to, Rynu. I heard her," Marina said, frowning. "I guess it's because I've known her – and you – for a long time now." She held out her arms, approaching Rynu and giving him a hug. "There. I'm not ignoring you," she teased, letting go. "Where's Yin?"

Rynu jerked a thumb behind him, saying, "Back there. He doesn't fly quite as fast as Haza, and she all but forcefully put me on her back."

"Oh! Haza!" Marina reprimanded. "That's not nice."

The black ice dragon snorted. _He was being stubborn. Yin needed to rest if he was going to carry Rynu AND the half-dozen books April sent. You'll be interested in them, I think._

_Too bad you can't talk to him. Why did April send so many books?_

_Only one of them actually has anything to do with that stone thing. The rest are spellbooks and vampire legends._

_Ah._

"Would you stop that?" Rynu demanded, looking from Haza to Marina.

"Stop what?" Marina asked, confused.

"Talking in your minds! I don't like not hearing your conversation."

"How did you know we were talking?"

"Body language. So. What were you guys talking about?"

"Why she forced you to ride her and what the books April sent with you are about."

Rynu grimaced. "Oh. She said only one of them is relevant to the jewel – the others are–"

"Spellbooks and vampire legends. I know," Marina finished.

"How—?" Rynu scowled. "Now I know how you feel when I talk to Medusa. Except this time it's worse. I can't even hear your half of the conversation!"

Marina took the books, hauling them inside. "Hey! I can do that!" Rynu exclaimed.

"Find Yin and take care of him. He deserves lots of pampering!" Marina retorted, dropping the books in her makeshift bed and dusting off her hands. She fetched the other book too.

"He's back?" Tarel asked, appearing from the shadows. "Woah! How many books did your friend send?"

"A lot," Marina answered, grinning. "Only one of them is actually about the incarnae. The others are spellbooks and vampire legends."

"Huh. Lunch?" he asked, gesturing to the pot of stew.

Marina made a face. "No offense, Tarel, but even though your stew if very good, I'm getting kind of sick of it."

"You get used to it. Well, we can figure something else out for today." Tarel disappeared again.

"Do you like him?"

Marina spun around in surprise. "What?"

Rynu crossed his arms and stared at her. "Do you like Tarel?"

"Tarel! No! No, of course not!" Marina exclaimed, confused. "Why?"

"You two seem really close."

Marina walked over to him, punching him hard in the arm. "I don't like him, okay? I like…somebody else."

"Who?" Rynu rubbed his arm. "That hurts."

"Baby. I'm not telling you."

"You're the one who's scared of nandi bears," Rynu retorted, stung by the 'baby' remark. "You run when you see one."

Marina turned white, then red, eyes hard. "Go away! You know why I'm scared of them!" She pushed him forcefully away, through the door.

"Wait – Marina –"

"I said go!" Marina hissed. Tears sparkled in her eyes. "Just go." A wall of ice sprang up in the door, blocking it. It was thin because she didn't have as much magic as normal, and would melt soon, but at least she was alone. So what if she was scared of nandi bears, even the hatchlings? It wasn't her fault Ali locked her in with them for a whole day!

"What did you do?" She could hear Tarel through the ice.

"I made her mad." Marina sighed – she could hear them just as clearly as if there were no wall. The ice was melting quickly now, making puddles on the floor. Why had she lost her temper like that? Normally she would've laughed it off, but…maybe it was losing her magic and gaining this new ability to speak to animals that was making her so emotional. That and Rynu was the most obtuse person she'd ever met.

"Why the hell did you do that?" Tarel demanded.

"Nothing. I don't know."

"You did something to her!"

"How do you know what makes her mad? You've known her for how long?"

"So what? I can't get to know her?"

Marina winced as the two men's voices escalated. She stepped in between them. "Stop! Why are you fighting?"

"He made you mad," Tarel said matter-of-factly. "And he won't tell me why."

"I told you, I don't know!" Rynu snapped.

"There's a reason for everything."

"Stop it!"

Suddenly, Haza's head loomed in the entrance. _What's with all the noise?_

"Ask them," Marina said irritably, flicking her hand at the two arguing magi. "They're the ones yelling."

_Well?_ Haza asked, swinging her head around to peer at the dark magi and the earth magi.

"Well?" Marina translated. "What's with all the noise?"

Rynu sighed. "I made Marina mad. I made fun of her for being scared of nandi bears. I didn't know she'd get so mad."

"And you've known her for how long?" Tarel taunted.

"You—!" Rynu rounded on Tarel, but Haza caught him by the back of his shirt and Marina seized Tarel's arms and locked them behind his back.

"Stop it," Marina said with a savage jerk. "It's not Rynu's fault, okay? I'm just not myself today, okay? Now quit fighting."

Haza released Rynu, snorting. _Humans!_

_I'm human too,[i/]_ Marina reminded her.

_Humph. You don't cry about spilled eggshells._

Marina chuckled. _I suppose you're right._

"Marina? Can I—can I talk to you for a minute?" Rynu asked quietly.

"Sure," Marina replied, just as softly. She stepped back into her room, letting him back in. Haza watched Tarel carefully, and under her stern gaze, he went to do something else.

"I'm sorry," Rynu mumbled, looking down at the ground. "I didn't mean it."

"You did at the time," Marina said, and then mentally kicked herself. Wasn't this what happened every time they fought? He'd apologize and she'd brush him off and ignore him – for maybe a day. Then she'd forgive him and everything would be fine until they fought again. "Sorry. It seems I have an apology of my own to make. Shall we call it even?"

"Yes, please," Rynu said eagerly. "I really _am_ sorry, not just because Haza scares the hell out of me…"

The corners of Marina's mouth turned up in a smile. "Really? She does? She's not that scary."

"She is to me. You forget Pheona doesn't keep many dragons, and none of them are as close to her as Haza is to you."

Marina shook her head, still smiling. "I…I want to talk to Tarel really quickly, too. Do you want to come along, or do you want to rest?"

"I'll come with," Rynu said, scowling suddenly.

_You're jealous, aren't you?_ Medusa said, amused.

"What?" Marina asked, spinning around. "Who, me?"

_No, no. _Medusa pondered how to stop Marina from hearing her while Rynu told her to stop talking.

"And I'm not jealous, okay?" he hissed, following the water magi at a safe enough distance that she wouldn't hear him.

_Sure you aren't. And I'm a dragon._


	18. Chapter 18: Meddlers

**Chapter 18: Meddlers**

"Tarel?" Marina watched him fiercely hammer lengths of wood together, remaking things he'd lost in the fire. "Are you okay?"

He spun around, surprised. "What? I'm fine."

Marina bit her lip, about to say 'no, you're not,' but she decided against it as Rynu came up behind her and leaned against the wall. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah." He was glaring daggers at Rynu until Marina stepped in the way.

"Stop it. He didn't mean to." Her voice softened. "Can you two just get along? Rynu's been my friend for years, and you're stuck with me until we figure out this incarna. If you two keep fighting, I'll get Haza to drop one of you in Synara Forest and the other in the Callisto Islands."

_Rynu's jealous of Tarel,_ Medusa said to Marina, and Marina alone. This actually wasn't too hard, once she figured it out.

_What?_ Marina spun around to stare at Medusa. Rynu gave her a weird look, shifting uncomfortably. _What does he have to be jealous about?_

_I don't think he'd be very happy with me for telling you. Suffice to say that he's just jealous. I think you can figure out why._

_Gee, thanks for all the details,_ Marina retorted dryly. _Do you know what's bitten Tarel?_

_Haza did. No, not really. He's jealous too._ Medusa hissed, a grin on her snaky face.

_About WHAT, though?_ Marina questioned impatiently. _Tell me, please?_

_You._

Marina blinked. "I don't…understand, Medusa."

"What did she say?" Rynu asked, staring with wide eyes at the basilisk. Had she told Marina that he—?

"Oh, nothing," Marina said hurriedly, blushing. "I didn't realize I said that out loud."

"I'll apologize if he apologizes for making you mad," Tarel said, crossing his arms.

"I will if you apologize for implying I don't know her well enough!" Rynu snapped, crossing his arms too.

Marina looked from one to the other in exasperation. She suddenly felt very short. "Please, guys? Just get along?"

Damn it, I hate it when she makes that face, Rynu thought, scowling. Her eyes got so big and pleading and she looked so sweet and innocent… "Fine. I'm sorry. Good?"

Tira appeared and glared at Tarel while nuzzling Marina's arm.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry too."

Marina sagged in relief. "So…what do you guys want for lunch?"

"I don't care," Rynu grumbled.

_You could hunt, you know,_ a voice said in Marina's mind.

"Who said that?" she demanded, looking around. She didn't recognize the voice…

_Me._ Nachta waved her wing.

"I guess so." _Why can I talk to you? I'm not that close to you yet!_

_Sometimes it works the other way around/_

_What? Can you explain, please, Nachta?_

_Sometimes it's not you who have to be close to me, but me to be close to you._

_I still don't get it…_

_You'll get it eventually._

"Creatures are so cryptic!" Marina complained out loud. "Anyway, Nachta says we can hunt for food and roast it instead of making stew."

"Sounds like a plan. I'll hunt." Tarel grabbed a cloak and walked off into the forest.

Marina frowned. "Doesn't he need a weapon?"

"I use magic to hunt," Tarel called over his shoulder.

"Oh," Marina said softly. "Rynu, are you jealous of Tarel?"

Rynu started, glaring at Medusa. Then he looked back at Marina. "N-no. Why should I?"

"Medusa said you were. She just wouldn't tell me why." Marina wandered back to her area, sitting down and picking up a random book. It was a vampire legends book, and as she leafed through it, the smell of blood wafted from the pages, old and stale. "Eww."

"What?" Rynu asked, sitting down beside her.

She blushed at his proximity, but let her hair fall like a curtain to hide her face. "It smells like blood. It's faint, but still."

"What else do you expect of a vampire book?" he asked jokingly.

"I guess." Marina put the book down. "While you were gone, I had this weird dream where I was Ali for a moment. Then Tira spoke and scared the crap out of me." She traced designs on the floor with her finger. "That's when I figured out I could talk to creatures and hear them in my mind."

Rynu was silent for a moment. "I wish I'd been there. That must have been a difficult situation. Did you think you were going crazy?"

"I did, actually," Marina said, chuckling. "It sucked. I scared Tarel, too, screaming in the dead of night."

"If you're going crazy, what does that make the rest of us?"

"Saner than me. None of you talk to creatures in your mind." Shallal jumped into Marina's lap, purring comfortingly. She ran a hand over the tienko's spine, still uncharacteristically solemn.

"It's not crazy, okay? Somebody else must be able to do it. Red can talk to her creatures, remember?"

Marina brightened. "That's right!" Then she sighed again. "But she had to learn. I wonder if Ali can do it, too."

"She might. With you two being twins, it's most likely." Rynu was silent for a moment, then said, "You never did tell me you had a twin. Why the secrecy?"

"It's…it's a long story." Marina dug her fingers into Shallal's fur, eliciting a glare.

_Watch it. I know Ali drives you nuts, but you don't have to stab me!_

_Sorry, Shallal. I didn't mean to._ "Do you really want to know?" Marina asked.

"Of course," said Rynu, scowling. "She all but bit my head off."

"Okay then." She paused for a moment, then continued. "Ali is actually the older twin. We were born on the night of a lunar eclipse. She never cried as a child, whereas I did. I spent time with the creatures, and she only spent time with the nandi bears and the cobras. Then Mother died. She lived with me for a short while, then announced she was going to leave and live on her own. She'd been going to the mountains for a long time by then, with her cobra, Vesper, and her nandi bear, Darra. I didn't see her for the longest time."

"What was she like as a child, though? How did you two become such polar opposites?" Rynu wanted to know.

"She was always like that. Just because we're almost-identical twins doesn't mean we have to act the same, Rynu. She locked me in with the nandi bears once – and she has a special thing with them. That's why I'm so scared of them, you know." Marina shuddered, hugging her knees. "I was there for the entire day."

Rynu scowled. "How'd you get out?"

"Oh – Rosa came and found me. She brought me the key to get out. I was so mad at Ali…come to think of it, that was about the time she began leaving to stay in the mountains. At the time I thought she was just sulking because I yelled at her and didn't trust her with anything anymore."

"That's messed up."

Marina laughed softly. "She's not cold-hearted, Rynu. She's just…very cautious. There must have been something that happened to her to make her so, something that I don't know. She didn't use to be that standoffish."

"Yeah, right," Rynu scoffed. "You're just too nice, Marina."

"Too nice?" Marina's voice shot up an octave. "Somebody has to be! She's not nice, and there's nobody else to be! I can't let her drive everybody away from us just because she's a grump and—"

"Hold on," Rynu interrupted, putting up his hands. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way. I meant that you're too nice, that you forgive too easily."

"That's just the way I am, Rynu," she said softly, embarrassed by her outburst. Again. "Isn't it better to forgive and forget, to give someone another chance?"

"Yeah, but you've got to draw the line somewhere. I don't like seeing you hurt. Somebody's going to use that against you and break your heart."

"I don't think it's in any danger of being broken," Marina said softly.

_Are you sure about that? _Shallal asked opening one eye. He_ could break it, you know._

_I do know. But I'm not going to tell him that, now, am I?_

"What are you talking about?" Rynu demanded, frustrated. "Gods…"

Marina blushed yet again. "Oh, nothing," she said, glaring at the tienko. She hurriedly picked up another book – the one on incarnae. It was old and brown and falling apart. It was a miracle it had survived the journey here.

"You're talking about something!" He wasn't going to let her worm out of it this time. "Please, Marina?"

"It's nothing. Shallal is making fun of me."

_I am not!_ the tienko hissed indignantly. _You're just stubborn!_

_Good to know I'm not the only once who notices,_ Medusa hissed, amused. _They are stubborn, aren't they?_

_Very,_ Shallal agreed, glaring at her magi.


	19. Chapter 19: Secrets

**Chapter 19: Secrets**

Rynu sighed. "You're not going to tell me, are you?"

"No," Marina answered softly. "I'm not."

"Why not?" he demanded, looking at her.

Marina was silent for a long, long time. He was about to ask her again when she said, very softly, "I don't want to hurt you."

_Is that not exactly what he said to you, after his fight with Demetre?_ Medusa asked Marina, flicking out her tongue.

_It is._

Medusa paused pensively. Then she gave Marina a snaky grin. _You love him, don't you?_

_I do._

_Then why do you not tell him?_ the basilisk asked curiously. _It drives him crazy, not knowing._

_Have you ever loved someone, Medusa? It's hard to tell somebody that. What if they don't love you back?_ Marina shifted uncomfortably, drawing her knees up to her chin.

_You magi are stubborn – and obtuse!_

"You're not going to hurt me, Marina," Rynu said, frustrated. _More like I'd hurt her_, he thought. _I always do._

"You're wrong." Marina stood up and left the cave, standing outside and waiting for Tira to appear. When she did, Marina stroked her bone neck and sighed. _Why does life have to be so complicated, Tira?_

Rynu scrambled to his feet, striding over to Marina. "Why won't you tell me?" he grumbled, eyeing the resurrection horse warily. Those eyes were spooky…

"You're not the only one who gets to be secretive, Rynu," Marina retorted. She clenched a fist, the knuckles turning even whiter. "I'm not telling you, and that's that."

He was stumped for a moment. "What? I…I don't…"

"Yes you do!" Marina whirled around. "You've always had secrets, Rynu. You don't even tell Pheona very much, never mind me!"

"I keep them to myself to keep you two happy!" Rynu growled.

"I'd rather you _not_," Marina hissed. "You can't deal with everything yourself, Rynu, and you should stop thinking that you're the one that deserves to feel the pain!"

"It's not that it's—"

"It's what? Self-deprecation, that's what it _is_! You don't see it that way, but it is. It does nobody any good if you keep things bottled up inside for their sake!" Marina glared at him for a moment, then swung herself onto Tira's back. In a flash of blue fire, Tira was galloping away into the forest, her light swallowed up by the shadowy trees.

"Where's Marina?" Tarel asked, coming in with a dead deer over his shoulder. Rynu was sitting against the wall, moodily shaving chips of wood from a branch with his knife.

"How'm I s'posed to know?" Rynu mumbled. Medusa looked up at him through the cloth from her seat on the floor and rolled her eyes.

"What do you mean?" Tarel demanded, laying the deer on the floor and folding his arms. "Why don't you know?"

"Because she stormed off."

"What did you do this time?" the other magi wanted to know, scowling fiercely.

Rynu looked up, finally. "I asked her a question she didn't want to answer, okay?"

"So why'd she run off, then?"

"Because she's upset with me. Obviously." Rynu returned to chipping away at the branch.

_I would advise you to stand, Rynu. Tarel tastes of anger and adrenaline._ Medusa slid inconspicuously out of the way, under a table.

Slowly, Rynu stood up and faced Tarel. "Why are you so concerned?"

"Because she reminds me of someone else I knew, and because she's my friend." Tarel was shaking with anger now. "She wasn't ever mad until you arrived!"

"It's not my fault we fight!" Rynu snapped.

"Yes, it is!" Tarel grabbed Rynu's shirt and yanked him towards him. "This is my home, and while you're here, you'll let her alone."

"Since when were you her keeper?" Rynu demanded, fighting back. Within seconds the two were all-out fighting – Rynu had tossed his knife away; he didn't want to kill the other magi, just get him to leave him alone.

Medusa hissed, not knowing what to do. Rynu would get mad at her if she tried to interfere and got herself hurt…_Shallal? Could you get Tira to bring Marina back?_

The tienko, who'd been gouging scratches in a tree in her anger, replied, _Are you sure?_

_It will only get worse if she does not show up._

_Very well._

A minute or two later, Medusa saw and heard Tira arrive, Marina asking frantically what was going on. Then she saw the two magi fighting – _again_ – and understood. She dismounted and took three quick steps towards them, grabbing Rynu's arm as he lunged towards Tarel and yanking on it, making him sprawl on the floor, and then kicking Tarel swiftly in the gut as he spun around and was about to start fighting again.

"Oof!" he puffed, winded. His eyes widened as he saw the scowling water magi and her equally angry flaming resurrection horse. "Ah…"

"What is going on here?" Marina snapped. "Why are you always fighting?"

Rynu pushed himself to his knees, sitting back on his heels. Gingerly, he stood up, and crossed his arms. "He started it this time. Ask Medusa. He's acting like he's your _husband_, for Gods' sake!"

"I was not!" Tarel disagreed, crab-walking away from Tira, who was now eyeing him as if he were a particularly interesting snack.

"Whatever." Rynu sheathed his knife and picked up Medusa. Then he stalked outside and whistled for Yin, who arrived almost immediately.

"Wait!" Marina yelled, but the enox had already taken off. _Haza! Where are you?_

_A wingbeat ahead of you, Marina._ The ice dragon soared up in front of the noctis enox, spreading her wings wide and blocking him whichever way he flew. _Want me to bring them back?_

_Please._ Marina turned to Tarel. "You need to stop acting so…protective of me. He's been my friend for years; there's no need for you to distrust him."

"And if he keeps making you mad?" Tarel questioned stubbornly.

"It happens all the time, Tarel." Marina watched as Haza deftly herded Yin back down to the ground.

_They're not happy,_ Haza reported, amused. In fact, Rynu was yelling at her to go away.

"Rynu!" Marina ran to him. "Please! I don't understand, why can't you get along with Tarel?" She wrapped her arms around Yin's neck, preventing him from taking off again.

"Ask him," Rynu answered irritably. "I told you, he's the one that started it."

"I'm asking you," Marina said softly.

_Must I do everything?_ Medusa hissed, half annoyed, half amused. _Because the two of them won't back down when it comes to you, Marina._

_But…_

Medusa gave her version of a sigh. _Rynu loves you very much, silly magi. He doesn't want you to get too close to Tarel, and Tarel just wants you to like him better than you like Rynu._

_She's right, you know,_ a new voice said.

_YIN?_

_That's right. Would you mind letting go of my neck?_

"Sorry," Marina murmured, letting go. She stroked his nose before taking a deep breath and turning to Rynu. "Okay. Fine. You can go." _I just wanted you two to be friends. Is that so much to ask for?_ she wondered. Giving Yin a final pat, she turned to go back to deal with Tarel.

Yin twisted his head to glare at Rynu, as if he were saying _Well why'd you bring me out here in the first place, then?_

_You know, Rynu, you were supposed to help her get her magic back…not fight with her friend,_ Medusa reminded him.

"Ah, shit," Rynu growled. He dismounted and went to lean against the wall, arms crossed.

_He's so stupid sometimes,_ Yin snorted.

Medusa hissed in agreement. _Do not forget stubborn, either!_

Marina turned to look at him, sadness still lingering. "Why're you staying?" she asked.

Tarel scowled at Rynu, and Rynu scowled right back – but he didn't answer.

"Fine," Marina snapped. She disappeared back into her room, Shallal close behind her.

After an awkward pause, Tarel picked up the deer and disappeared to skin and gut it and set most of it out to dry. Rynu wandered rather aimlessly, finding Marina's book on Tarel's table and picking it up, flipping through the pages and sulking when he saw how many words he didn't understand. Now was probably not a good time to ask what they meant, either.

It wasn't fair – he'd known her far longer than the dark magi had. And a dark magi, at that – she should know better than that!

_She stuck by _you, Medusa reminded him.

"That's different," Rynu retorted. "I would never hurt her on purpose."

_You don't know that he wouldn't._

"He was going to _kidnap_ her, for God's sake, Medusa!" That was another thing. She was far too trusting for her own good. People would pick up on that, use it to their advantage, and then break her trust and her spirit. _I might as well stay, just to make sure Tarel doesn't try anything,_ he thought.


	20. Chapter 20: Tag

**Chapter 20: Tag**

Marina picked up the vampire book again, opening it to page one, while Shallal curled up next to her, a large ball of silky warmth. Tira entered, her hooves making a sharp sound that echoed in the bare cave. Even though she _looked_ fully grown, she still was very young, and was rather bored.

_Tag! You're it!_ she cried as she nosed Shallal, whose eyes flew open.

_Hey!_ She jumped up and leaped up onto Tira's back. _You're it!_

_Really?_ Marina asked, looking up from the book with a smile. She watched as the resurrection horse whirled around the small cave, trying to shake the black ball of fur that clung so insistently to her back.

_Getitoffgetitoffgetitoff!_ Tira cried, her mind-voice filled with mirth. Finally, she threw on the brakes, and Shallal catapulted over her head and into the bubble Marina had hastily made.

_You should be more careful, Tira_, she said reproachfully, waiting until Shallal's weight brought the bubble down to the ground to pop it.

_She was the one who stuck to my back like a _burr_!_ Tira cried, affronted.

_Tag!_ Shallal said suddenly, gleefully swatting Tira's nose and running to hide behind Marina, who laughed.

Tira circled slowly around the magi, while Shallal made sure she was directly opposite of her. They switched directions, watching each other. Shallal took off suddenly, dashing around her magi to nip at Tira's heels.

_Why you little-!_ Tira chased the tienko around and around the cave, although they were careful not to crash into Marina, who watched them with a fond smile.

This was what she needed, after all the stress. Some time to laugh and have fun and forget about everything, although she'd have to get back to that reality all too soon. Getting up, she joined in the chase, until all three collapsed on the ground, tired from running and laughing at the same time. _Thank you,_ Marina told them tiredly, breathless.

_For what?_ Shallal asked innocently, trying to maintain her wide-eyed look but failing completely. She showed her fangs in a wide, Cheshire-cat grin.

_Having fun?_ Haza asked from outside.

_Why, yes we are, Haza!_ Marina replied blithely. _We would have asked you to join us, except I don't think you would have fit!_

_Very funny_, Haza said wryly, amused. _I'm glad you're happy now._

_Me too._

Sitting just outside the mouth of the cave on the same rock Marina had sat on earlier, Rynu scowled at the laughter and noise coming from Marina's cave. What was she doing?

_Don't be so overbearing. It is all right to have some fun sometimes, Rynu_, Medusa hissed.

"Oh, be quiet." He flipped his knife in the air once again, then looked up quickly when a large shadow blocked out the light. "Hello Haza," he said warily but grudgingly.

_She says you should go inside and sit with Marina. She will get over it eventually._

Rynu rolled his eyes. "Meanwhile I'll get a tienko attacking me, and a resurrection horse ready to eat me. No thanks."

_Tira would not eat you. I would not let her,_ Medusaobjected, annoyed. _Stop being so stubborn!_

"I am NOT stubborn!"

"Yes, you are." Rynu spun around to find Marina standing behind him, Shallal in her arms and Tira behind her. "And that's what brought you here in the first place," Marina continued, looking steadily at him, all trace of levity gone. "She's right, you know. Tira wouldn't eat you." She gave him a half smile. "Besides, she isn't hungry."

Tira snorted an affirmative, then walked around Marina to sniff Rynu's arm. "Hey!"

"She's just being friendly." Marina moved closer, and Shallal climbed up to sit on her shoulder. "Hold out your hand flat. She'll let you pet her in a moment."

And indeed Tira did. "She's so warm!"

"Well, that's the fire, you know. Just like bone dragons." She'd sent the vampire's bone dragons to Thane before she came here. He'd know what to do with them. Then she poked him. "Tag, you're it!"

"What?"

_You have to catch one of them. It's a game,_ Medusa explained.

"Oh." Rynu got up and sheathed his knife as Shallal, Tira, and Marina spread out.

He feinted after Tira and tried to tag Marina, only Shallal got in the way and tripped him.

_Oops_, she said, without a trace of apology. _I didn't mean to_.

"He can't hear you, you know," Marina said, amused.

"Hear who?" Rynu asked, getting up. "Which one of them?"

"Shallal," Marina said with a grin. "She said she didn't mean to."

"Yeah, right," he snorted. Then he lunged toward her. She stepped to the side and used his momentum to push him down, causing him to sprawl on the ground.

"You're going to have to be faster than that, Rynu," she teased.

"Don't I know it," he grumbled, picking himself up again.

"Hey you lot, lunch is ready," Tarel called, his voice determinedly cheerful. "Roast venison. It tastes pretty good, if I say so myself."

Rynu punched Tarel in the arm as the other magi emerged from the cave. "You're it!"

"What?" Tarel asked, more surprised than hurt.

"It's a game. Shallal started it," Marina explained.

_I did not! Tira did!_ Shallal protested vehemently.

"Oops. Tira did, not Shallal," Marina rectified. "So…are you in?"

"But lunch is going to get cold!" Tarel protested, inching closer to Marina.

"Please," Marina scoffed, rolling her eyes. "You have an amarth alagos. She'll keep it warm."

"Okay then," Tarel sighed dramatically. "I guess I can play." Then he lunged toward her. Instinct kicked in, and she did the same move she'd done on Rynu earlier, placing one knee on his back between his shoulder blades and raising her hand to strike before she realized what she was doing. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't use your ninja skills on me. It's not fair!" Tarel complained, his voice muffled.

Marina got up and brushed off her dress, reaching out a hand to help him up. "Sorry. It's second nature to me."

Tarel rubbed his jaw where he had hit it on the ground. "Ow."

"You think that hurts?" Rynu asked, laughing. "I snuck up on her and got and elbow in the throat and a punch in the gut before she realized what she was doing."

"It's not my fault. Ali did the same thing earlier that day!" Marina protested. "And _she_ was ready for the counter attack!"

_I'm glad you are all getting along so well, but your lunch is getting overcooked._

"Nachta says that lunch is getting overcooked…" Marina told the two men.

"Right," Tarel said. "But after lunch, I want a duel with you."

_Good luck with winning, _Medusa snorted, mostly to herself, since Tarel couldn't hear her. _She's the only girl to have beat Rynu._

"No thanks," Marina said. "I need to start reading the book April sent."

_He'd just get his ass kicked_, Rynu thought smugly. _He wouldn't have known what hit him!_


End file.
